Gas-charging and relief valve assembly



United States- Patent [72] Invento s A d Zahld; [56] References Cited lpa zrsiak Jacobellis, Los Angeles, UNITED STATES PATENTS A I No 953 1,156,328 10/1915 Thayer 137/226 [22] m 6 1968 1,216,919 2/1917 Ashelman 6131.. 137/226 [45] Paemed Nov 1970 1,363,623 12/1920 Smith 137/543.15X [73] Assi nee Grer n'ydnulics hm 2,086,236 7/1937 Peo etal. 137/543.15X g L08 Angelescalifomia 3,450,147 6/1969 Webb 137/226 a corporation of New York FOREIGN PATENTS 737,198 9/1955 Great Britain 137/5123 Primary Examiner-Wi1liam F ODea s4 GAS-CHARGING AND RELIEF VALVE ASSEMBLY 4mm"! 1, W

4 Claims, 2 Drawing Figs I Att0rney-Arthur B. Co1v1n [52] U.S.Cl. 137/5123,

137/226, 137/538, 137/543.15 ABSTRACT: This invention relates to an integral valve as- [51] Int. Cl F16k 17/00 sembly which will permit charging ofa pressure vessel with gas [50] Field of Search 137/ 1 15, under pressure and which incorporates a relief valve that will relieve the pressure in the pressure vessel when it exceeds a predetermined amount.

Patented Nov. 24, 1970 mm Q Q h E L L on 0 NC/ EA VJ/ m VIA z W g I ATTORNEY of the pressure vessel occurf GAS-CHARGING AND RELIEF VALVE ASSEMBLY As conducive to an understanding of-the invention, it is noted that where a pressure vessel is charged with gas under pressure through a'conventional one-way valve, the flow of such gas into the pressure vessel must be carefully monitored to insure that -it does not. exceed a predetermined value to prevent bursting of the pressure vessel being charged.

Where thepressurevessel is charged to apredetermined pressure and the pressure should then rise due, for exa mple, to

an increase in the ambient temperature or a pressure surge in the system in which the pressure vessel is incorporated, unless suitable pressure relief valvemeans are associated with the pressure vessel or'the system in which it is employed, rupture or thep ressure lines of the system may Since the pressure vessel normally has a portin w hich the conventional charging valve is mounted,'where an additional pressure-relief valve is provided which necessitatesla separate and distinct assembly and an additional opening in the pressu re vessel in which it must be mounted, the'installation of the pressure relief valvejadds materially tothe'cost of the equipment.

It is accordinglyamong the objects of the invention to pro vide a gas-charging and pressure relief valve assembly which may be incorporated into a single casing and which has relatively few parts whichmay readily=becfabricatedat lowcost and which may readily be adjusted to provide for pressure relief at a predetermined value: l

According to the invention,.the.assembly comprises a casing having a bore therethrough of .reduced diameter at one end defining the outlet port ofthe assembly. A valve member in the form of a piston having an axial bore therethrough is The outer surface of floor 29 of the piston 28 has an annular groove 32 in which a resilient me mber 33 such as awasher is secured, said resilient member being aligned with the annular rim 17. The resilient member 33 normally retained against the rim 17 by a coil spring 34 comp t essed between the end 34' of the piston 28 and the head portion 19 of guide member 21.

The periphery of the piston 28 has a plurality of spaced longitudinal grooves 36 therein, and relief ports 37 are provided in the casing 11 leading into the bore 12 thereof.

The gas-charging and relief valve assembly above described may be utilized with any suitable pressure vessel such as a gas charged, 'even'fwhen the "piston {cuts off communication between the outlet port andthe reliefport.v U

in the accompanying drawingsin which are shown'one of various possible embodimentsof the several featuresof the inventionz' l FIG. 1 is a longitudinalsectional view of the assembly; and FIG. 2 is a transversesectionalview takenialon'g line 2-2of FIG. 1.

Referring now to the drawings, the yalve' lll comprises a casing or body portion 11 having a cylindrical bore 12 extend ing from thejmouth13 of the casing 11 to the transverse floor Mthereof. l i I The floor 14 hasanaxialbore 15 therethrough of relatively small diameter as comparedto thediarneter of bore 12 and which leads into a frustoconical cavity; 16 int'he inner surface of said floor. The periphery ofsaid cavity 16 has an inwardly extending annular rim 17 which defines-a valve seat.

The mouth 13 of the casing l'l' is internally threadedas at 18 and receives a closure member 19 which illustrfatively is the.

correspondingly .thre'aded head 19 or a guide member 21 which has a reduced.diameter cylindrical stem 22 extending intobore 12.

I The head 19 and stem 22 have an axial bore 23- therethrough which; is of reduced diameter as at.24 at the inner end portion of the stem. The stem 22'at its inner-end has an annular groove 25 in its periphery in which an O-ring 26 is positioned.

Slidably mounted onthe stern 22 and encompassing the O-" ring is a valve member'j'n the form of a hollow piston 28 which has a floor 29 at its inner end with an axial bore 31 therethrough aligned with the bore 15 in thefloor 14 of the body portion 11 and the reduceddiameter portion 24 of bore 23. i

.will be provided through 50 flats 50 on the protruding end 46 of the reservoir 41 having an outlet port42 to which a suitable line (not shown) may be connected.

The assembly 10 is secured in an opening 43 in the wall of the reservoir 41 as by welding at 44.

To charge thepressure reservoir, the cap 45 is rernovedand,

. charge the latter. Whenthe'res'ervo'ir has been charged-to a desired'amount, the sourceof gas under pressure is discon-,

tinu ed from protruding portion 46 and the cap 45 screwed in position:

- As the area D of the outer surface of the floor the piston 28 subjected to the pressure-"in reservoir 4l'is greater than the 'area D ofthe inner surface ofthe floor of the piston, since both-surfaces are subjected to the same pressure,the differential pressure would normally tend to move the piston 28.

away from the valve seat defined by annular rim 17.

However, due to the force exerted by coil spring the piston will normally remain seated until the pressure has built 1 up sufficiently 'so thatthe force exerted against the piston to move it off its seat will' overcome the force exerted by the coil spring 34 -When the-piston is movedaway from its seat 17, a path for escape; of the gas underpressur in the pressure reservoir 4 1 relief ports-37.

The force exerted by spring 34 may be'variediby adjusting the positionof head. 19 of guide member 2l. This may readily be accomplished by applying a' wrench, for, example, to ,the guide member and rotating the latter. H l v The assembly 10 above'described may, for example, have the relief pressure set at 4,000 p.s.i. for a 2,000 psi. working pressure. 'Thus, when the reservoir is initially being charged,

while gas 'under pressure is flowing through valve 46' into the reservoir, if the charging pressure should-rise above 4, 00-

p.s.i., the piston would-move off its seat 17 to bleed the reservoir. Pressure-relief will also be provided when the pressure I reservoiris being used for its intended purpose, to take care ofpressure surges in the system or buildup of pressure due to temperature increase.

We claim? 1'. A fluidcharging and relief valve assembly comprising a casing having a bore therethrough defining a mouth at one end, the end of said casing remote from the mouth thereof: having a transverse floor with an axial bore defining an outlet port, said floor having an inwardly extending annular rim on its inner surface, coaxial with said outlet port and defining a valve seat, said casing having a relief port leading into the bore thereof, avalve member comprising a piston slidably mounted. V in said casing'bore, said piston having a transverse floor at the end thereof 'adjacentsaid outlet port, said floor defining the end'wall of said piston, said' end wall being movable against and away from said annular rim, means normally urging said piston against said annular rim to cut off communication 1 between said outlet port and said relief port, a closure member comprising a head threadably mounted in the mouth of said .ll5, grooves36 in piston 28 and casingbore, said head having an inwardly extending axial guide stem. the inner end of said stem being longitudinally spaced from said outlet port, the head and said stem of said closure member having an axial bore therethrough, a fluid charging valve mounted in said closure member bore at its outer end, said piston having, an axial bore therethrough providing communication between said fluid-charging valve and said outlet port the portion of said piston bore extending through the floor of the piston being of reduced diameter, the area of the inner surface of said floor of the piston exposed to the fluid pressure in said outlet port being less than the area of the outer surface of said floor of the piston exposed to the fluid pressure in said outlet port, the inner end of said stern extending into the larger diameter portion of the piston bore slid-ably to mount said piston whereby when the fluid pressure in said outlet port exceeds a predetermined amount, the valve member will be moved away from its seat to provide communication between said outlet port and said relief port.

2. The combination set forth in claim 1 in which the means normally urging said piston against said annular rim comprises a coil spring encompassing said stem and compressed between opposed surfaces of said head and said piston to urge said piston is moved offits seat.

4 The combination set forth in claim 1 in which the inner end of said stem has an annular groove in its outer periphery and an O-ring is positioned in said annular groove to provide a seal with respect to the wall surface of said piston bore encompassing said O-ring. 

